A powerful earthquake has shaken eastern Venezuela, causing buildings to be evacuated in the capital of Caracas.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude of Tuesday's quake at 7.3 and said it had a depth of 76 miles (123 kilometres). Its epicenter was 12 miles (20 kilometres) northwest of Yaguaraparo, Venezuela.

In Cumana, the biggest city near the quake's centre, supermarket shelves came crashing down. At a shopping centre, a woman caught in the panic of people rushing out of the building fell on an escalator and injured herself.

"We felt something strong and they told everyone to run," said Marisela Lopez, who was at the foundation with her 7-year-old daughter when the quake struck.